CDTC's Quality Region Task Force

July 2007 Meeting Agenda | July 2007 Meeting Record

What is the Quality Region Task Force?
The Quality Region Task Force was created in the Spring of 2002. The Task Force was created to ensure that a knowledgeable and diverse group would help steer the New Visions 2030 effort. This effort resulted from CDTC's desire to investigate unresolved and emerging transportation issues in a "visioning" exercise combined with the opportunity to capitalize (to the greatest regional benefit) upon the quality communities movement. The combined effort was simply called "New Visions for a Quality Region".

Quality Region Task Force Mission Statement

As a small, knowledgeable and diverse task force, assist the CDTC and CDRPC staffs in carefully articulating the transportation and development-related policy choices and opportunities facing the region. Explore issues that go beyond those previously treated in CDTC's New Visions plan. Help construct and participate in a broad outreach program to engage a wide range of parties throughout the region in discussion of these issues. Report findings to CDTC, CDRPC and other parties for incorporation into CDTC's New Visions 2030 Plan and other policy instruments.

Context of the QR Initiative

The New Visions Plan largely revolves around regional consensus, incremental changes, and fiscal constraint. The strength of the plan is in the degree to which consensus on key principles was found, and in the affordability of the recommended actions. It shifts the transportation investment program's emphasis, but largely works within available resources.

Many unresolved issues from the existing (New Visions 2025) plan were addressed and are being addressed by the Quality Region Task Force:

How can the region address the strong local interest in aesthetics (streetscaping, site design, underground utilities and trail development)?

What can be done about the noise exposure identified in NYSDOT Region 1's recent study? What about such notions as converting I-787 to a boulevard, Hoosick St. as a parkway?

Is there a compelling reason why the quality community movement should be considered at the regional level? (That is, is a quality region anything other than a collection of quality communities?)

What has transpired in recent years to inform our position on rail transit (or advanced technology) and is that critical to the concept of a quality region?

How can future land use become less auto-dependent than recent development?

CDTC Home Page